All of these related applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
The present invention relates to a system for displaying information to the public.
Communication of information to the public is a major industry. One of the major means of such communications is by publicly visible signs, including advertising signs. Signs have been in use for centuries, and have performed a valuable service of informing consumers about choices that are available to them. But advances in technology have made traditional signs seem somewhat out of date.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,060,993 issued to Eyal Cohen (the xe2x80x9cCohen Patentxe2x80x9d) discloses one possible system for displaying messages in advertisements on mobile signs, such as those placed on the tops of motor vehicles such as taxis. In this system a geographic area is divided up into separate zones and when a mobile unit makes a transition from one zone into another the controller located on the mobile unit determines when it has made such a transition based on a positioning system within the mobile unit, on a series of geographic zone definitions which it stores in its memory, and on a schedule indicating which messages are to be shown in which zones at which times. The Cohen patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
It is an object of the present invention to provide for more flexible, effective, and/or profitable usage of signs.
According to one aspect of the invention, a system for publicly displaying messages comprises an automotive vehicle and the following elements carried by the vehicle: a publicly visible electronic display (i.e., a display which can easily be seen by people external to the display); a sensor for sensing the brightness of light in the vicinity of the display; and illumination varying circuitry for varying the brightness of light generated by the display in response to brightness detected by the sensor.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the display is a backlit display illuminated by a backlight and the illumination varying circuitry varies the brightness of the backlight. The display can be a high bright backlit displays, by which we mean a displays having an illumination of over s over 1000 NITs, where one NIT is one candella per square meter of surface radiation. In some embodiments the backlit display is a transreflective display which can be lit either by reflected light or by backlighting, and the degree to which the display is lit by backlighting is controlled by the illumination varying circuitry.
In some embodiments the vehicle carries at least two of the publicly visible displays, and each display has an associated light sensor and illumination varying circuitry for varying the generated brightness of each display in response to the brightness detected by its associated light sensor. In some such multiple-display embodiments each displays is lit both by light incident upon display and by light generated by display under control of the illumination varying circuitry. Examples of such displays include transreflective displays, which can pass either generated or reflected light through a display""s light valve to brighten its image, as well as displays that generate an images by spatially varying reflective shade or color, which can be light by either ambient or generated light. The illumination generated for each display can be controlled as a function of the amount of light falling on its associated light sensor, either dependently or independently of the amount of light generated for other displays and/or the amount of light falling on other the sensors associated with the position of other displays.
According to another aspect of the invention a system for publicly displaying messages comprises an automotive vehicle carrying the following elements: a publicly visible display formed by ganging together a plurality of individual electronic displays, each having at least a resolution of 640xc3x97480 pixels; and video drive circuitry for generating signals to cause images to be shown on the ganged display, with different portions of individual images being shown on each of the individual displays.
In some such ganged display embodiments, the individual display are high bright backlit displays having over 1000 NITs of illumination. In some such embodiments a light sensor senses external light on the display and circuitry varies brightness of the entire ganged display in response to the sensor. This system includes these elements carried by the vehicle: a sensor for sensing the brightness of light in vicinity of the ganged display and illumination varying circuitry for varying the brightness of the entire ganged display as a unit in response to brightness detected by the sensor.
In some such ganged display embodiments, there are at least two of such ganged displays and
the video drive circuitry is capable of driving separate images on each ganged display.
According to another aspect of the invention, a system for publicly displaying messages comprising of an automotive vehicle having an automotive electrical system and also the following elements carried by the vehicle: a publicly visible high-bright display, capable of providing over 1000 NITS illumination and having 640 by 480 or greater pixel resolution; and video drive circuitry for generating signals to cause images to be shown on the display.
In some such high-bright embodiments, the vehicle includes a computer and a radio connected to provide received digital data to the computer. The computer is programmed to generate animated images from vector-based animation files received over the radio.
In some such high-bright embodiments, the display is a backlit display having a light filter to provide an electronically controlled spatial pattern of variable opacity and one or more backlights to provide illumination behind the light filter. In some such embodiments the display is an LCD display and the light filter is a liquid crystal light filter. In some embodiments the display is a transreflective display that can be lit by reflected light and/or by backlighting.
According to another aspect of the invention, a mobile display system for publicly showing messages includes an automotive vehicle which carries a publicly visible electronic display and a computer. The computer has: video drive circuitry for generating signals to cause images to be shown on the display, a memory device capable of storing representations of animated display images represented in vector-based form; and programming for enabling the computer to generated animated images from the vector-based animation representations. When a memory device is referred to in this specification, it should be understood than it can include RAM, ROM, flash or other nonvolatile memory, hard disk, CD or DVD ROM, including recordable and/or rewritable CD or DVD ROM, and other memory storage devices now or hereafter known.
In some embodiments, the system includes a radio for conveying digital information to the computer about which messages the computer should cause to be shown on the display, and information including the vector-based animation representations of such messages.
According to one aspect of the invention a system for publicly displaying messages comprise an automotive vehicle having an automotive electrical system including an ignition system and a generator for generating electricity when the vehicles ignition system is on. The vehicle further includes a publicly visible electronic display; video drive circuitry for generating signals to cause images to be shown on the display; and display-power circuitry. The display-power circuitry receives power from the vehicle""s automotive electrical system, supplies it to the display, and automatically reduces the power supplied to the display after the vehicle""s ignition is turned off.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the display-power circuitry automatically increases power to the display after the vehicle""s ignition is turned back on, if the power to the display has been reduced after the vehicle""s ignition was last turned off.
In some embodiments the video drive circuitry includes a computer for controlling the images generated on the display and the display-power circuitry can automatically reduce the poser to the display whether or not the computer is operating. In some such embodiments the video drive circuitry includes a computer for controlling the images generated on the display and the display-power circuitry substantially reduces the power supplied to the display without turning off the computer. Later the computer can be shut down and then the power to it can be cut. In some such embodiments the vehicle further including circuitry which provides power to the computer to turn it back on once the ignition is turned back on.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the display is a backlit display including one or more backlights to illuminate it, and the display-power circuitry reduces power to the backlights. In some such backlit embodiments the backlit display is a high-bright display having backlights capable of providing at least 1000 NITS of illumination before the display-power circuitry reduces power to it. In some embodiments these high bright displays will be LCD displays, but in other embodiments they can include any other types of displays having over 1000 NITs of illumination. In some backlit embodiments the backlit display is a transreflective display which can be lit either by reflected light and/or by backlighting. In some e backlit embodiments, the display-power circuitry makes a first reduction in power at a first time after the ignition is shut off which does not cut off all illuminating power to the backlight. In some such embodiments, the display-power circuitry makes a second reduction in power at a second time, later than the first time, after the ignition is shut off, which turns the backlights off.
According to another aspect of the invention a system for publicly displaying messages comprises an automotive vehicle having the following elements: a publicly visible electronic display; a computer containing programming for causing various messages to be shown on that display; an input device which can be used by an occupant of the vehicle to generate one or more emergency signals; and a connection for supplying the one or more emergency signals to the computer. The computer contains programming to cause it to respond to the generation of an emergency signal by causing an emergency message to be shown on the vehicle""s display.
Some embodiments of this emergency signal aspect of the invention further including a radio connected for conveying digital information to the computer about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display and for communicating information from the computer to a remote electronic system; and the computer further contains programming to cause it to respond to the generation of an emergency signal by causing an emergency message to be sent by the radio to the remote electronic system. In some such embodiments, the input device is a switch which generates a single emergency signal; and the computer is programmed to respond to the single emergency signal by causing both the emergency message to be shown on the display and the emergency message to be sent by the radio.
According to one aspect of the invention a rooftop unit, for being carried on the roof of an automotive vehicle is provided. The rooftop unit includes an electronic display having at least 640xc3x97480 pixel resolution; a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on the display; and an electrical connection for receiving power from the electrical system of the vehicle.
Some such rooftop units include a radio for conveying digital information to the computer about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display. Some rooftop units include a GPS device connected to the computer, for providing the computer information about the location of the vehicle, and the computer is programmed to use the location information, in conjunction with information received over the radio, in determining which messages to show on the display.
In some rooftop units, the computer contains programming to generate animated bitmapped images on the display from vectorbased animation representations. The rooftop unit can include a radio for conveying digital data to the computer; and the computer is programmed to generate the animated images from vector-based animation data received over the radio. The rooftop unit can also include a memory device; and the computer can include programming for enabling it to generate the animated image from vector-based animation files stored on the mass storage device.
In some rooftop units include an enclosure in which the display and computer are enclosed and mountings for suspending the enclosure in a position spaced above the roof of the vehicle. These mounting includes vibration isolators, for at least partially isolating the enclosure from vibration of the vehicle roof.
In some embodiments the enclosure includes top, side, and bottom external surfaces and is substantially waterproof over the top and sides surfaces, with holes for ventilation in the bottom surface, which is spaced above the vehicle roof for ventilation. In such embodiments one or more ventilation fans can be placed near one or more of the ventilation holes. The enclosure can include a heat sensor for measuring the temperature inside the enclosure and circuitry for controlling the operation of the fans as a function of the temperature measured by the heat sensor.
In some embodiments the external surfaces of the enclosure extends down below the portion of enclosure""s bottom surface containing the ventilation holes on at least substantially three sides, to reduce the tendency of rain water to enter the ventilation holes
In some embodiments the rooftop unit includes a radio for conveying digital information to the computer about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display and the radio is enclosed in the unit""s enclosure. Some such embodiments the enclosure also holds a geographic location system, such as but not limited to a GPS system, for providing the computer information about the location of the vehicle; and the unit""s computer is programmed to use the geographic location information, in conjunction with information received over the radio, in determining which messages to show on the unit""s display.
Some rooftop unit further include a connection for receiving an input from an emergency switch that can be operated by an occupant of the vehicle and the unit""s computer contains programming to cause it to respond to operation of the emergency switch by causing a predefined emergency message to be shown on the display. Some such embodiments further include a radio for conveying digital information to the computer about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display and for communicating information from the computer to a remote electronic system, and the unit""s computer further contains programming to cause it to respond to operation of the emergency switch by causing a predefined emergency message to be sent by the radio to the remote electronic system.
According to another aspect of the invention a vehicle display unit for being carried on an automotive vehicle is provided. This unit could be designed for mounting on a roof, like the rooftop unit described above, or it could be mounted in other locations on or in a vehicle, such as, for example, on the side of a truck or bus. The vehicle display unit includes the following: an electronic display; display drive circuitry for controlling the images shown on the display; an electrical connection for receiving power from the electrical system of the vehicle; an enclosure around the display and the display drive circuitry having ventilation openings; and a ventilation fan located near one of the ventilation openings for moving cooling air through the enclosure.
Some such vehicle display units further include a heat sensor for measuring the temperature inside the enclosure; and circuitry for controlling the operation of the fan as a function of the temperature measured by the heat sensor.
In some such display units the unit""s display includes a top, a front side, which is the display surface on which displayed information is to be viewed, and a back side facing in the opposite direction from the front side. In some such units the enclosure includes a cover over both the top and the front and back sides of the display, and one or more fans are positioned to move air in the enclosure up one of the sides, across the top, and down the opposite side. In some such embodiments a cross-flow fan is used to propel air up the one side of the display. In many embodiments the enclosure includes a transparent surface, which can be made for example of a material such as Lexan (made by General Electric Company) that extends over and is generally parallel to the display surface, so as to enable images generated by the display to be viewed from outside the enclosure. In many such embodiments the transparent surface has a mat finish to reduce glare.
In some of the vehicle display units having an enclosure over the sides and top of their display unit, the enclosure includes top, side, and bottom external surfaces, is substantially waterproof over the top and side surfaces, has holes for ventilation in the bottom surface; and has one or more ventilation fans placed near one or more of the ventilation holes. In some such embodiments one of the fans is positioned to suck air into one of the ventilation holes in the bottom of the enclosure; and a filter is positioned to filter water and dirt out of the air before it reaches the fan. Display units having the substantially waterproof top and side enclosure surfaces can further include an air verticalizing grating shaped to verticalize air flow in the vertical direction. Such a grating can be located over one of the unit""s ventilation holes to increase the verticality of air sucked up into the hole, so as to reduce the amount of rain which will enter the hole. This has the benefit of reducing the amount of rain water which will enter the unit, since rain water is often traveling with horizontal component of motion relative to a moving motor vehicle. Display units having the substantially waterproof top and side enclosure surfaces can further have a portion of its enclosure surface extend down below the portion of the enclosures bottom surface containing the ventilation holes on at least substantially three sides. This can be done to reduce the tendency of rain water to enter the ventilation holes
Some vehicle display units further include a heater positioned to heat the interior of the enclosure; a heat sensor for measuring the temperature inside the enclosure; and circuitry for controlling the operation of the heater as a function of the temperature measured by the heat sensor.
According to another aspect of the invention a rooftop unit for being carried on the roof of an automotive vehicle is provided. The rooftop unit includes three electronic displays and display drive circuitry for driving images on each such display. The three displays are arranged in a triangle having a first corner near the front of the rooftop unit, and two corners nearer the back of the rooftop unit. Two of the displays are side displays, which form the sides of the triangle which join at the front corner, each of which is position to be visible from the front and one side of the vehicle. The third display is a back display, which forms the third side of the triangle and is positioned to be visible from the behind the vehicle.
In some such three-display rooftop units the drive circuitry is capable of driving different images on the side displays than are driven on the back display. In some such units the drive circuitry is capable of driving both side displays with the same video output.
According to another aspect of the invention a rooftop unit for being carried on the roof of an automotive vehicle is provided. The rooftop unit includes an electronic display; display drive circuitry for driving images on the display; an enclosure in which the display and drive circuitry are enclosed; one or more roof protectors having a total of over two square feet of weight distributing surface shaped to fit the three dimensional curved surface of the roof of a vehicle on which the rooftop unit it is to be mounted; and a plurality of mountings supported by the one or more roof protectors for suspending the enclosure in a position spaced above the roof, which mounting includes vibration isolators, for at least partially isolating the enclosure from vibration of the vehicle roof.
In some embodiments a layer of material is mounted between the one or more roof protector to reduce the tendency of the roof protector to scratch the roof of any vehicle it is on.
In some embodiments the mountings include a plurality of rigid mounting elements including shafts extending upward from the roof protectors and rigid mounting surfaces above and below the shaft. In such embodiments the enclosure includes a mounting hole for receiving each shaft and the vibration isolators include elastic material placed around each shaft below, above, and in each such mounting hole, so that the enclosure has elastic material to isolated it from the rigid mounting elements in each of three dimensions.
According to one aspect of the invention a system for publicly displaying messages is provided. The system includes an automotive vehicle carrying a publicly visible electronic display; and a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on the display; and a radio for conveying digital information to and from the computer including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display. The computer includes programming defining an operating system having a set of commands and programming to enable a remote system to have remote access to commands of the operating system over the radio.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the system includes a plurality of such mobile systems, each including one of the automotive vehicles carrying at least the display, the computer, and the radio. The system further including a central system which has one or more computer systems and one or more radios connected to the central system computers to enable them to wirelessly communicate with the computers on the mobile systems through the radios on those mobile systems. The computers of the central system include programming for causing the central system to communicate data to the mobile systems controlling what messages are displayed on the mobile systems; and programming for enabling the computers of the central system to obtain remote access of one or more the computers on the mobile systems.
According to another aspect of the invention a system for publicly displaying messages is provided which comprises an automotive vehicle carrying to following elements: a publicly visible electronic display; a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on the display; and a radio for conveying to and from the computer digital information, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display, and for transmitting to remote computers information supplied to it by the vehicle""s computer. The vehicle""s computer includes programming enabling it to communicate, over the radio, to a remote computer information about the status of the computer.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention there are a plurality of such mobile systems and the system further includes a central system. The central system includes one or more computer systems and one or more radios connected to the central system computers so as to enable them to wirelessly communicate with the computers on the mobile systems through the radios on those mobile systems. The computers of the central system include programming for causing the central system to communicate data to the mobile systems controlling what messages are displayed on the mobile systems; and programming enabling the computers of the central system to request the information about the status of the computer of a given mobile system.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the programming in a mobile unit""s computer causes that computer to initiate a communication over the radio about the computer""s status in response to the detection by the computer one or more conditions in its status. This can include such changes in status as a running low on space for storage for messages, not having a message stored on the mobile which the mobile unit is to display, when the mobile unit is about to shut down, when it first is booted up, etc.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the mobile unit""s computer""s video interface includes screen memory used to drive the display, and the information about the status of the computer includes information about the data stored in the screen memory.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer includes a mass storage device; and the information about the status of the computer includes information about how full the mass storage device is.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer includes random access memory; and the information about the status of the computer includes information about how much random access memory is in the machine.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer includes random access memory; and the information about the status of the computer includes information about how much random access memory in the machine is free.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer includes one or more central processing units; and the information about the status of the computer includes information about how busy the one or more central processing units have been. In different embodiments this information can be provided for one or more different periods, such as CPU loading over the last second, last 5 seconds, last minute, or last 5 minutes.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the information about the status of a mobile unit""s computer includes information about how much traffic there has been over its associated radio.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer include one or more memory devices, for storing display messages which can be displayed by the computer on the display; and the information about the status of the computer includes information about what display messages are stored on the memory devices. A mobile unit""s one or more memory devices can include RAM, ROM, flash or other non-volatile memory, hard disk, CD or DVD ROM, including recordable and/or rewritable CD or DVD ROM, and other know memory storage devices
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention a mobile unit""s computer includes a network interface which uses the IP protocol to send and receive data packets over the radio. In such embodiments the information about the status of the mobile unit""s computer includes information about the IP address of the network interface.
According to another aspect of the invention a mobile display system for publicly displaying messages is provided which comprises an automotive vehicle carrying the following elements: a publicly visible electronic display; a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on the display; and a radio for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display. The computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system real time information about the status of the mobile display unit.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the computer system contains programming to select which of a plurality of messages are shown on the display at a given time: and the real time information indicates which message is currently being shown on the display.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the real-time information indicates the current speed of the vehicle.
According to another aspect of the invention mobile display system comprises an automotive vehicle carrying: a publicly visible electronic display; a computer, having a video interface, for controlling the images shown on the display; a radio connected to the computer for conveying digital information to and from the computer, including information about which messages it should cause to be shown on the display.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the mobile system further includes a sensor for providing a measurement of the temperature inside one of the enclosures; a connection for communicating the measurement to the computer; and programming enabling the computer to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system information about the temperature measurement.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the mobile system further includes a light sensor for providing a measurement of the amount of light falling on the display from sources other than the display itself; a connection for communicating the light measurement to the computer; and programming enabling the computer to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system information about the light measurement.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the mobile system further includes a connection for communicating to the computer an indication of the amount of light being emitted by the display and programming enabling the computer to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system information about the amount of light being emitted. The display can be a backlit display having a light filter and backlight to provide illumination for the light filter; and the information about the amount of light being emitted includes information about the amount of power being supplied to the backlight.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the mobile system further includes a connection for communicating to the computer an indication of whether the ignition system is on or off, and programming enabling the computer to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system an indication of whether the ignition system is on or off.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the radio includes electronics for generating an indication of the strength of the radio frequency signal which is being received by that radio; the mobile unit""s computer receives the signal strength indication; and the computer is provided with programming enabling it to communicate over the radio to a remote computer system information about the signal strength indication.
According to one aspect of the invention a method of displaying messages is provided which includes: carrying a least two publicly visible electronic display at different positions on a moving vehicle, each of which is visible from a different external position relative to the vehicle. The method includes selecting different messages for each of the two different displays as a function of differences between viewers who are likely to see the different displays because of their different position with respect to the vehicle.
The difference between viewers used to make such a selection can include differences in who the people likely to see the different display are and/or differences in the current activity, location, and relative position and/or speed of likely viewers of the different displays.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the multiple displays are carried on the vehicle so that one of them is a side display that can better be seen from a position to the side of the vehicle, and one of them is a back display that can better seen from a position behind the vehicle.
In some such side-and-back-display embodiments the selecting of different messages for each of the different displays includes selecting for showing on the side display messages considered more appropriate for viewing by pedestrians, and selecting for showing on the back display messages considered more appropriate for viewing by drivers of vehicles behind the vehicle carrying the the displays. The selection of messages for showing on the side and back displays can be a function, respectively, of demographic information about pedestrians likely to see the side display and demographic information about drivers likely to see the back display.
As used in this specification the word demographic means information as to overall population, and information as to numbers of different types of people, including virtually any classification of types of people which are useful to those seeking to target messages to desired audiences, including sex, age, income, racial or ethnic background, employment type, location of residence, life style, sexual preference, religion, number of children, dress, prior purchasing information, and behavioral information. We also define demographic information to include information about the current activity, current location, or current context, including: proximity to locations of given types such as given types of stores, businesses, public places, etc; weather; or time of day. We also define demographic to define any other information about people which may be considered useful in marketing products, services, political candidates or view, and the ideas.
In some such side-and-back-display embodiments the selecting of different messages for each of the different displays includes selecting messages more appropriate for rapid viewing on the side display and selecting messages more appropriate for longer viewing on the back display.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the invention need not be limited to vehicles having combinations of side and back displays. In such embodiments the selecting of different messages for each of the differently positioned displays includes making such selection as a function of demographic information about the different populations of viewers likely to see messages displayed from each of the different displays as a function of their different positions relative to the vehicle. In some such embodiments the demographic information about the different populations likely to see the different displays varies for each of the displays for each of a plurality of different geographical locations.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the invention further include providing an on-line site from which remote computers can purchasing over a computer network the right to have messages shown on displays, including enabling on-line purchasers to separately select whether to purchase the right to have a message displayed on one or more displays as a function of their position relative to the vehicle which carries them. Such methods include controlling what messages are shown on which of the vehicle""s displays as a function of the purchases made on the on-line site.
According to another aspect of the invention a system is provided for publicly displaying messages which includes an automotive vehicle having two publicly visible electronic displays, including a side display that can better be seen from a position to the side of the vehicle, and a back display that can better seen from a position behind the vehicle, and a computer, having one or more video interfaces, enabling it to cause separate images to be shown on each of the displays.
Some embodiments of this aspect of the invention include a plurality of such mobile systems each carrying a communication interface connected to their computer. These systems further include a central system which has one or more computers; one or more communication interfaces connected to such computers; and programming in such computers. This programming enables on-line purchasing over one or more of the central system""s communication interfaces of the right to have messages shown on the displays of the mobile systems, including enabling on-line purchasers to separately select whether to purchase the right to have a message displayed on one or more side displays or on one or more back displays. The central system""s programming also enables the central system to communicate data to one or more of the mobile systems to control what messages are displayed by the side and back displays of a mobile system in response to on-line purchases.
In some such embodiments the communication interfaces of the mobile systems and the central system which are used for communication between the central system and the mobile systems are wireless communication interfaces, although in others they need not be.
In some embodiments of this aspect of the invention the computer carried by a vehicle includes programming for receiving information about the vehicle""s current location and for successively displaying the names of different cross streets near vehicle""s current position on the vehicle""s back display as the vehicle moves.